First Impressions
by writermarie
Summary: A breath of fresh air...a man in the shadows and an offer that Abbey can't refuse.


Title: "First Impressions"  
Author: Marie E. Rossiter (writermarie2002@yahoo.com)  
Rating: NC-17  
Pairing: Abbey/?  
Disclaimers: Standard...Legally, not mine...but in my mind, they   
are...  
Feedback: Still love it and need it!   
  
Abigail Bartlet stood in a far corner of the room with a small   
gathering of people. They were saying something, she was sure, but   
for some reason, she didn't hear the words. She looked around the   
room. "How can all of these people look exactly alike?" she wondered   
to herself.

  
All of these dinners were alike: incredible food, decent   
entertainment and typically dull guests. Once in a while, there was a   
winner in there, but they were few and far between.  
As the conversation droned on, she tried to locate some form   
of escape from the group that had her "cornered". She certainly did   
not want to be rude. After all, that was not one of the items listed   
in the job description of First Lady. But, she the job was hers by   
default, and she never did a job with less than 100% effort and   
charm-or at least she liked to make others see it that way.

  
"Would you excuse me, please?" Abbey said to the group and   
slipped away. Once she knew she was clear of them, she rolled her   
eyes in exasperation.

  
The orchestra started playing a familiar tune, which made   
Abbey smile. Numerous couples were dancing on the large wooden floor   
and Abbey longed to be out there with them. She glanced around the   
room again, in the hopes of finding her husband and possibly   
convincing him to dance. But, Jed Bartlet was nowhere to be seen, of   
course. He was more than likely working somewhere, as he never stayed   
at these dinners for very long. She shook her head in disappointment.

  
Then, it dawned on her that they didn't even dress together   
for the evening, which used to be a Bartlet ritual. He would zip up   
or button her dress, after begrudgingly being lectured that he was   
supposed to be helping Abbey get dressed, not undressed. She would   
fix his tie and help with the finishing touches. Lately, though, they   
haven't seen much of each other-and getting dressed and undressed   
together was a luxury. Hell, she was lucky if they were sleeping in   
the same bed at the same time lately.

  
Abbey walked across the dance floor and decided that it was   
time to take a walk outside to cool off. She was getting angry again,   
and she was tired of feeling that way when it came to her husband.   
All she wanted was to know that she was important to him, to be needed   
as a husband needs a wife, as a man needs a woman. Maybe getting some   
air would help settle her rattled nerves.

  
She stepped out onto one of the many exterior walkways, which   
was not very well lit. That was fine with her, as she did not want to   
be spotted. Her agent was close by, but kept a healthy distance from   
her, allowing her some privacy.

  
She looked skyward. No stars. Of course not. This was   
Washington D.C., not Manchester, New Hampshire. The stars rarely made   
an appearance down here they way they did back home. She missed that,   
too. There were a lot of things Abbey missed.

  
"Excuse me?"

  
Abbey turned around toward the voice.

  
"I don't mean to intrude on your moment here, Missbut I just   
had to talk to you."

  
Abbey didn't move as the male voice moved closer to her.   
"I hope I'm not being too forward, but I just had to tell you   
that you are, by far, the most exquisite woman in the room."

  
"Oh, thank you," she said uncomfortably. 

  
"Are you here alone?" the man asked.

  
"Well, technically, no, but it seems that right now I am," she   
sighed.

  
"I see. Did your date leave you here?" 

  
Abbey laughed out loud. "Yeah. That happens a lot, I'm   
afraid," she replied sarcastically.

  
"Man must be a complete idiot, then," the man said.

  
"Sometimes," Abbey continued.

  
"There's no way I would leave a woman like you alone at a   
party like this. I'd be afraid she'd get propositioned by some   
unseemly character."

  
Abbey looked over at her agent for a moment, then focused on   
the man speaking to her. "I wouldn't worry about that. I haven't   
been propositioned in a long time." She noticed the man's features   
and wondered where she had seen him before. He had an odd sense of   
familiarity, but she couldn't put her finger on where she had seen him   
before. 

  
"What a shame and a waste," the man stated.

  
"You can say that again," Abbey muttered to herself.

  
"I was wondering, would you like to go out for a drink or   
something, since your date stood you up?" the man asked.

  
Abbey took a small step backward. "I don't go out for drinks.   
I can't go 'out' much of anywhere anymore…You know…"

  
"Oh, sure, of course."

  
Abbey turned back to look inside the room, making sure that   
her presence wouldn't be missed. She shouldn't be out here, talking   
to this person, but it beat being bored to death inside.

  
Before she could turn around, she felt a hand on her shoulder.   
Her back tensed, just slightly.

  
"Well, maybe if you can't go 'out' for drinks, maybe we can   
have drinks someplace else."

  
Abbey's breath caught in her throat. "What are you   
suggesting?"

  
"I have a room here at the hotel, I was wondering if you'd   
care to join me."

  
Abbey, in a panic, was at a loss for words.

  
"You said it had been a long time since you've been   
propositioned, didn't you?"

  
"Yes, but…"

  
"Your husband is an idiot and doesn't deserve you," the man   
whispered in her ear. "You deserve a man who can take care of your needs, at least for one night, maybe more."

  
Is this happening to me? Abbey wondered silently. 

  
"I don't think that's a good idea."

  
"Why not. I think you're incredible, and I'm sure if you got   
to know me a little better, you'd find me at least interesting. When is   
the last time your needs were taken care of?"

  
Abbey thought about this question and didn't answer. She bit   
her lip to mask the pain that it caused.

  
"Don't you find me attractive at all?" the man questioned.

  
Abbey turned to face him, her heart pounding in her ears. "I   
hardly know you."

  
"First impressions can be pretty powerful, don't you agree?"

  
"First impressions are important, yes," Abbey concurred.

  
"So, what's your first impression of me?"

  
Abbey paused to consider this. "Dangerous."

  
"Hmm…that's too bad. Although, I suspect that you don't   
think 'dangerous' as in I'm going to hurt you, otherwise you'd have   
called Mr. Tall, Dark and Foreboding over there. My guess is that you   
mean 'dangerous' in that you are actually considering my offer."

  
"I don't know what you think you 'know' about me, but I'm not   
that kind of a woman," Abbey said in a crisp voice.

  
"Sorry. I meant no offense whatsoever. I've just been   
watching you all evening and you look…well, lonely and in need of a   
friend."

  
"You've been watching me?" Abbey took another step back, and   
was now feeling rather uneasy.

  
"I couldn't help it. You're sort of hard not to notice."

  
"I don't get noticed around here very often," Abbey said   
quietly. "I sort of blend into the background. Part of my job."  
"Well, that's their loss, then, isn't it?"

  
Abbey studied this stranger. She should call out to her agent   
to remove this guy, but something intrigued her about him. She would   
keep an eye on him; she knew when to ask for help and when not to.

  
"I suppose so," she said quietly and sat down on a stone bench   
in the courtyard. The stranger joined her soon afterward.

  
"Nice night," the man said casually.

  
"Not bad," Abbey replied. She sensed that the man's presence   
was a little too close for her comfort, so she moved over just a bit.   
This was enough of a movement to cause the one side of the skirt to   
fall over her leg, exposing her knee just slightly. She started to go   
to move the fabric back over her skin, but at the last second, she   
changed her mind, leaving her hand on her lap. Oh, what's the big   
deal, anyway, she thought to herself. It's just a knee.

  
The man looked down and spotted the exposed limb immediately.   
He looked up at her and smiled, then looked back down again.

  
Suddenly, Abbey felt a flush start at the base of her spine   
and move all the way up her body. She turned away from him to hide   
her embarrassment. That was something she hadn't experienced   
in, well, years. Flirting wasn't something she was accustomed to   
anymore, but she was starting to recall how much she enjoyed it all   
those years ago. She felt like a damned crazy fool, but who cared. 

  
No one would know but her…

  
Her attention was brought back to her knee when she felt the   
man's hand rest on her leg. She wanted to jerk back her limb in   
shock, at the presumption of a person she hardly knew making such a   
bold gesture, but again, she stopped herself. She just looked down at   
his hand on her leg and felt--she wasn't sure what it was--she hadn't   
felt much of anything for a long time. 

  
Abbey glanced over again at the agent, wondering if he noticed   
this contact. Apparently the shadows concealed the man's moving his   
hand onto her; otherwise the agent would have been there in a flash.

  
The silence pierced through the air as the stranger's hand   
simply rested there, and did not make any attempt to progress into   
anything further. Now their eyes were riveted to one another, and   
Abbey could barely breath. 

  
"I should...I should go back inside," Abbey said, quickly   
standing up. "I shouldn't be here...doing this..."

  
"Doing what? You haven't done anything, Mrs. Bartlet," the   
man offered.

  
"I know, it's just I should really be in there with the   
guests." Abbey defended.

  
"I understand, duty calls."

  
"Yes. It was nice...talking to you...thank you," Abbey told   
the man, starting to head back inside.

  
She was stopped when the man took her hand and turned her back   
around. He placed something in her hand. "My pleasure."

  
She pulled her hand back abruptly and rushed back inside.

  
When she got back inside, she retreated to a corner and opened   
her hand. It was a room key. Abbey closed her hand again quickly and   
scanned the room, hoping that she wasn't detected.

  
"Hey, Abbey," she heard from behind.

  
Abbey jumped and turned around.

  
"You ok?" Leo said. 

  
"Sure, fine," Abbey answered.

  
"Why you over here in the corner? Been caught being a bad   
girl?" he teased.

  
Abbey glared at Leo. "Very funny," she replied defensively.

  
"Hey, I'm just joking. I came over here to see if you wanted   
to dance. I haven't seen you on the dance floor all night."

  
"No one's asked me to dance," she told him.

  
Leo said nothing to Abbey, but offered his arm. Abbey took   
his arm and allowed herself to be escorted to the dance floor.  
The two friends danced for a while in silence. 

  
"You remember the last time we danced like this?" Leo   
inquired.

  
"At the inauguration, I think."

  
"Yeah, and then before that at your wedding, I believe."

  
Abbey nodded silently.

  
"I was lucky to get that dance that night. Jed kept you to   
himself almost the whole night."

  
"I remember that, too," Abbey whispered. "Speaking of which,   
have you seen my husband lately?"

  
"He's been pretty busy tonight," Leo said carefully.

  
"I know," Abbey responded. "I just thought maybe you had..."

  
"Not recently. He's been in and out of meetings. I got to   
escape for a while. You want me to go get him?"

  
Abbey shook her head. "No. If you happen to see him, tell   
him I'm going back to the residence. I'm kinda tired."

  
"O.k.," Leo said. "You all right, Abbey?"

  
"Yes, Leo. I've just had enough of this for one night. See   
you tomorrow." 

  
Abbey separated herself from Leo and made her way out of the   
reception room and into the hotel atrium. She opened her handbag and   
took out the room key and held it tightly in her hand. She closed her   
eyes tightly, not being able to bare the thought of going home to an   
empty bed once again. She opened up her eyes and stared at the small   
brown key ring and the solitary key dangling from the silver circle on   
the end.

  
She looked over her shoulder at the party, and noticed her   
agent waiting nearby.

  
Abbey took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I have   
something I need to take care of," she told the agent. "I promised   
last week when the invitation was sent out that I could spare about 20   
minutes. I made arrangements to meet this person here, in private.   
When we get there, can you make sure that we are not disturbed?"

  
The agent nodded silently. "We'll need to do a security sweep   
of the floor, ma'am, before we can allow you to head up there."

  
Abbey rolled her eyes. "Fine, just make it quick," she snapped.

  
"What's the room number, ma'am?"

  
Abbey opened her fist and looked closely at the key ring.

  
"1044,"Abbey told the agent.

  
"Thank you. Excuse me a moment," the agent replied, and then quickly  
spoke into a discreetly placed microphone.

  
Abbey tried to look casual as she waited for the "all clear", but   
inside her stomach was quite unsettled. She nodded and greeted people   
as they entered and exited the reception area. "Good Lord, how long   
does something like this have to take?" she asked herself bitterly.

  
"All clear, ma'am."

  
Abbey clutched the key ring and moved toward the elevator. The doors   
opened almost immediately and an operator was standing there waiting   
for his command.

  
"Which floor?"

  
Abbey sighed deeply and put the key back in her purse. "Ten, please."   
she said, making up her mind once and for all.

  
The ride up seemed endless. Abbey was sure that both the   
agent and the elevator operator could see right through her and knew   
what she was about to do. The elevator operator she'd never have to   
face again, but her agent...that was another story. Fortunately,   
these people are trained for discreetness and secrecy. She felt   
fairly certain that no word of this would leak to the staff or the   
public. She couldn't take any more "dirty laundry" being aired out in   
the open.

  
At last, the elevator doors opened. As soon as they did,   
Abbey thought of telling the operator to just go back to the lobby.   
Instead, she just stood there, frozen in that moment in time.  
"Ma'am? 10th floor," the operator said.

  
Abbey cleared her throat. "Thank you," she said calmly and   
stepped off the elevator and onto the tenth floor.

  
Her eyes scanned the doors in the corridor as she searched for   
the room number listed on the key ring tucked away safely in her   
handbag. After a brief search, she found room 1044. She opened the   
latch of her bag, and took the key out of its secure location. She   
looked to either side of her, to make sure that no one saw her and she   
inserted the key into the lock with a trembling hand. The lock turned   
easily and the door swung open fully. The agent silently took his   
place outside the door in silence.

  
The lights in the room were dim, which seemed natural   
considering that was the environment these two had met in earlier that   
evening. Abbey took two steps into the room and shut the door behind   
her quietly. There was a corner wall in the room, and the view of the   
full room was partially obstructed. She reached the corner portion of   
the wall when out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her and pinned her   
against the opposite wall.

  
"Jesus!" Abbey said in a harsh whisper. Then, just as   
quickly, the hand that grabbed her covered her mouth.

  
"Shh...it's ok," the man said.

  
Abbey looked at the man in front of her and not for the first   
time this evening, noticed his piercing eyes looking through her...she   
had noticed them before, but now, seeing them this closely, Abbey felt   
as though she was possessed by them.

  
"You scared me," she said, not moving or resisting being held   
against the wall. "I shouldn't be here with you...this was a mistake.   
I need to go."

  
"This isn't a mistake, and you know it. You've known it since   
you first saw me tonight."

  
Abbey closed her eyes and shook her head. 

  
"Can you deny that you liked my hand on your leg?" the   
stranger asked.

  
"No," Abbey answered truthfully.  
"I knew at that moment that you'd come up here," the man   
continued. He put his hand on Abbey's face. "I think you knew, too,   
didn't you?"

  
Abbey did not answer.

  
"You didn't come up here to talk, and that's certainly not why   
I asked you up here..."

  
"But, I..." Abbey began.

  
"No more talking..." the man said, pulling Abbey to him and   
kissing her fully on the lips.

  
Abbey tried resisting, but her whole body sent a stream of   
conflicting messages. Although she was struggling with this course of   
action, she couldn't help but respond. It had been so long since she   
was kissed like this. Almost instinctually, Abbey felt her lips part,   
allowing deeper access. She wanted to live for the now: in this   
room, in this moment with this man...and no one would be the wiser.

  
This signal emboldened the man as he kissed her roughly and   
started running his hands all over her body. He was not gentle at all   
with her, and Abbey found that she didn't care one bit. She took her   
arms and wrapped them tightly around the man, pulling him closer.  
The man pushed his right leg in between Abbey's legs and the   
fabric of her dress rustled as it slid apart at the split seam. Abbey   
leaned her head back against the wall, as she felt the pressure of his   
leg in between her legs. A low moan escaped from her throat.  
Quickly, the man pulled Abbey against his body and yanked down   
the zipper of her gown and pushed it off her shoulders. Once her   
shoulders were exposed, he kissed and bit at the smooth, warm flesh.   
He pushed the dress all the way down to her ankles and he picked her   
straight up so that she was before him in just her bra and panties.

  
"My God, you're beautiful," he moaned, bending his head down   
to kiss her neck.

  
I should scream...run out of here, Abbey's rational mind said,   
but all rational thought was gone by now. She pushed his head down   
further, until he was kissing her through her silk bra.

  
The man looked up at her with those amazing eyes and smiled.   
He licked her nipple through the soft fabric, which quickly became   
taut under the strain of the flesh beneath. Abbey's breathing started   
to become uneven as she surrendered to the sensations running through   
her body.

  
The man reached behind her and practically ripped off her bra   
and threw it across the room. He quickly returned his mouth to where   
it was before, but this time there was no fabric inhibiting his lips   
and tongue against her breast.

  
Abbey arched her back, giving him easier access to her body.   
She now remembered what it felt like to be alive again. She had   
longed for that feeling for ages.

  
She pulled his head to her even more, encouraging him to take her   
completely in his eager mouth. He licked, sucked and nibbled on her bosom

until he could stand it no more. He pulled her roughly away from the wall and moved   
her quickly to the bed, where he pushed her down. 

  
"Tonight, it's all about you...no husband, no   
responsibilities..."

  
"Mm?" Abbey pushed through her lips. Did he say something?   
If so, she didn't comprehend it.

  
"I thought you said no talking," she murmured, lifting up her   
hips.

  
The man nodded fervently and reached down and pulled off the   
teal colored panties, spreading her legs with the other hand. He   
reached up, loosened his tie and undid a few of the buttons on his   
crisp, white shirt. Next, he deftly undid the button of his pants,   
which then quickly dropped to the floor. The stranger gave Abbey a   
once over with his eyes before climbing on the edge of the bed. He   
leaned over her body and kissed her passionately once more, his hands   
traveling all over her...tickling, teasing, probing. He explored her   
body carefully, looking for highly sensitive areas and upon finding   
them, lingering there for continued investigation.

  
"Don't...it tickles...please..." Abbey begged.

  
"Shouldn't have told me that," he replied, lowering his mouth   
past her cleavage and heading toward her navel.

  
Abbey's whole body began to tremble as this man caressed her   
with his mouth...He went past her navel and reached her thighs, where   
they fell open instinctually. Abbey grabbed onto the bedcovers as she   
started to wriggle back and forth. His teasing was incessant. Just   
when she thought he would delve into her essence, he would   
purposefully avoid that area and move on..

.  
His fingers, though, did not tease as much and moved expertly   
between her folds, providing her at least some form of relief. His   
touch was deceptively gentle, despite the way he held her to the bed   
with his arms and body. He stroked her rhythmically for a time, until   
Abbey just about felt as though she would explode, and then he would   
stop or change the pace just enough for her to catch herself before   
jumping off the edge.

  
"Damn it," Abbey cried after a number of go-rounds like this.

  
"Patience," the man said, almost scolding her.

  
But, Abbey wasn't used to this assault on her senses-this   
prolonged sense of hanging by a thread was almost too much to bear.   
Somehow, she managed to raise her hands up off the bed and laced her   
fingers into the elastic of the man's shorts and pulled them off. She   
had to feel him next to her, with nothing between them but the   
perspiration building upon their glistening bodies. 

  
As Abbey felt her pleasure rise, she reached down and wrapped   
her fingers around his penis. For the first time, she heard her   
partner exhaled in a rush.

  
"Oh, yeah, hold me tightly," he groans.

  
And, she did, as she stroked him up and down in the same tempo   
he rubbed and plunged his fingers into her. She just couldn't be still   
any longer and had to be an active participant in this event. She   
could feel her wetness grow and the need burning within her reach   
almost a fever pitch. She moved her head up and kissed his neck,   
trying to indicate what it was she wanted.

  
"You have to tell me....Tell me what you want..." the man   
instructs her.

  
Tell him? Hell, she could barely speak at this point!

  
He removed his hand and kneeled over her. "Tell me what you   
need, and I'll give it to you. Anything you want. Just tell me."

  
She managed to focus her eyes long enough to marvel at this   
man who was sharing the bed with her. He was devastatingly handsome,   
strong and willing to give her everything she wanted. If only they   
had found each other sooner....

  
"I want you inside of me," she whispered.

  
"I can't hear you," the man countered.

  
Abbey quickly sat up and grabbed him.

  
"Damn it, Jed, do I need to get a piece of legislation passed   
for you to sign about this?" she growled. "Are you going to screw me   
or not?" she cried, exasperated and desperate for him.

  
Jed smiled at his wife's lack of control and plunged into her   
in one stroke. Abbey gasped and started to cry as her hips moved   
beneath his. Jed simply held onto her, trying to make the moment last   
as long as he could. But, the extended foreplay wasn't making that   
simple.

  
"Abbey....God....I've missed you..." he sighed as he thrust   
into her repeatedly. He reached down between the two of them and   
started stroking her again.

  
Abbey's breathing was now staggered, at best. Everything   
seemed to be fading around her, except the feeling of her husband   
joined together with her.

  
Their bodies thrust together in perfect synchronization for a   
time-neither wanted this to end-but they couldn't hold out any longer   
and as they reached the pinnacle of their passion, they called out to   
one another.

  
Some time later, both of them regained some form of   
consciousness. They bodies were entwined, with the sheets of the bed   
woven into the tapestry their limbs created.

  
"Jed?"

  
"Yes?"

  
"What made you....I don't understand..."

  
Jed propped himself up on one elbow and looked at his wife.   
"When I saw you tonight, it felt as though I had seen you for the   
first time. You took my breath away."

  
"Oh, God, Jed... You've seen me like this countless times," 

Abbey said with faint smile, rolling her eyes.

  
"No. Not in a long time, Abbey. Not like this. I felt...I   
don't know...funny about it...about you. I got those butterflies in   
my stomach, like I used to...I had to leave the room a few times   
because I literally didn't know what to say to you. I didn't want to   
screw it up with you by being your husband, the President. I wanted   
to show you that I thought of you as a woman...not my wife...not my   
partner...but as a gorgeous, desirable woman. This was the only way I   
could do it. I wasn't sure you'd play along."

  
"I wasn't sure, either," she confessed. "But, I was   
intrigued." Abbey paused. "You haven't intrigued me in a long time,   
Jed."

  
He nodded in response, running his fingers through her hair.   
"I know. As I said before, 'what a waste'."

  
"Yeah," Abbey answered. "We should have done this a long time   
ago."

  
"Yeah," Jed repeated.

  
"So, who knows we're up here?" Abbey asked with a grin.

  
"Not a soul...except the agents. We've got the room as long   
as we need it."

  
"Oh, I think we may need it for a while, yet," Abbey said,   
leaning in to kiss her husband once again.

  
"I was hoping you would say that," Jed replied, pulling Abbey   
close and surrendering to her kiss....  
  
END


End file.
